We Are Animal

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What with Louis Vuitton’s sparkling pandas and Prada’s monkey prints, Jasper Conran’s sea creatures and McQueen’s butterflies, the Spring/Summer season looks set to encompass a mad menagerie of light-hearted animal references – and perhaps it’s just what we need to lift our spirits. What better way to fight the recession blues than with a little bit of monkeying about?

Prada Monkey Print

Louis Vuitton Sequined Panda T-shirt, and Alexander McQueen Butterfly Dress

I was certainly cheered up the other night when I was strolling out of Westfield shopping centre and came upon a little trio of teens doing something new: Animal Busking.

Izzy, (13), Azzy, (13) and Sam (14) were dressed up to the nines at nine pm (when they really should have been heading home for their tea) wearing their finest animal get-ups and politely serenading passers-by in animal voices under the overhang outside Waitrose. “Well, that’s one way to beat the school holiday boredom,” I thought to myself. The occasional shopper paused to give them a coin or two. I had walked past a little way before I was drawn back, caught by their outlandish but somehow very stylish attire.

They weren’t wearing any of the deliciously playful and exquisitely crafted animal print and beadwork being paraded around at Fashion Week. I doubt their pocket money would have stretched that far. But they were bravely and brilliantly working with what they had got: namely some cheap and colourful shower caps that Azzy had been given as a Christmas gift.

One was in a lovely black and white cow print, horns attached, and the other was a pink raspberry with a stem. (Not technically an animal, but Azzy was gamely making up for that by reciting “I’m a raspberry! I’m a raspberry!” while the other two moo-ed and growled.)

Sam, the responsible older man at 14, was wearing a cuddly lion head-dress. His growl was pretty convincing, and he looked very cute as a lion. But my heart was taken by the shower caps.

“The man who owns the company that makes these actually came up to us a moment ago and said ‘hey! You are wearing my shower caps!’” said Azzy, bemused. “He is having dinner in that restaurant across the way right now.” (This just goes to prove my theory that, sooner or later, everyone ends up at Westfield. It might be the new Mecca.) “I had no idea where they came from,” she added. “I just got them in my stocking.” Who knew Father Christmas was a style guru?

The shower caps were paired with another fantastic fashion statement, in my opinion long overdue for an outing – the fluffy animal slipper. Azzy was using one of hers to collect the trio’s buskings.

“Ah. Useful AND stylish,” I thought to myself.

They were accessorised beautifully with ankle jewellery and a very chic “Don’t care what YOU think…” attitude by the girls (the must-have for anyone sporting the extreme animal look this season) and I was pleased to see when I turned the corner that they could be purchased in a multitude of different varieties from Cards Galore, who were displaying a selection in their shop window. I think Animal slippers might just be the next big thing in footwear. Or at least, I hope they will. I bought some immediately. Grr.